Alfie Meadows, a participant in the student fee protest on Thursday, was part of a large group that had been “kettled” — rounded up indiscriminately and confined by police. When he attempted to leave the kettle with a group of friends — including two sympathetic lecturers — he suffered a blow to the head from a police baton.
He fell unconscious on the way to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where he underwent a three-hour operation to save his life.
On arriving at he hospital he and his mother were told that he was not going to be admitted, they were only admitting injured police officers and they would have to go to another hospital. The ambulance driver kicked up a fuss, which resulted in Alfie Meadows being admitted.
A vigil for Alfie has been mounted outside Charing Cross Hospital.
Alfie Meadows was one of the 44 protestors who were taken to hospital by the ambulance service on Thursday.
A much larger number were injured during the day which saw mass kettling by the police and violent attacks early on by police trying to stop students and protestors assembling in Parliament Square, and then from leaving the Square. A student had her collar bone broken when mounted police charged.There were various reports of unconscious people and other hospitalisations due to head injuries. Press were also reportedly targeted by some police officers for beatings and some officers went after cameras trying to smash them.
Also see
London Student Assembly Press Conference
Police officers ‘tried to stop hospital staff treating injured protester’
Student has emergency brain surgery after ‘being beaten around the head with police truncheon’ during protest
Vigil for Alfie Meadows DayX3 Injured Near Fatal
Police investigate truncheon attack
Student protester operated on after being ‘hit with police baton’
‘Scenes of police officers being dragged off police horses and beaten’
hospital refusing to treat protestors?
Student fees protests: who started the violence?
Inside the Parliament Square kettle
Kettled During 9th of December Protest
Tags: Alfie Meadows, kettling, Parliament Square, student fees, student protest, UK Uncut
Keithpp's Blog 
December 12, 2010 at 3:02 am |
That protester is NOT. Alfie Meadows.
December 12, 2010 at 3:46 am |
Yes, if you mean the one shown carried away with head injuries, you are correct. Only goes to show he was not the only one to get his head smashed in but thanks for highlighting the fact.